Hammond is nearly equidistant (45-50 miles) from Baton Rouge and New Orleans. Both are cosmopolitan cities with rich culture and lots, lots, lots to do in every month of the year. And the music is simply some of the best in the world.

The Louisiana parishes east of Baton Rouge and north of Lake Pontchartrain are called the Florida Parishes and they have a fascinating history. In such a culturally rich place like south Louisiana with it’s strong Cajun and Creole cultures, the Florida Parishes combine these with rural and Italian flavors. Indeed, in contrast to Cajun Louisiana, the Florida Parishes also have a rich Italian heritage. Many of the regional festivals are devoted to this heritage, e.g., the Italian Festival and the Sicilian Festival.

And, of course, there is MardiGras.

Southeastern is an unusual place because the faculty and staff work so hard to keep it feeling small. However, Southeastern is big (800 Biology majors, 14,000 total students), and it’s big enough to gain some of the benefits of a big (but not huge) university. Our athletic programs are Division I, and the sports are very enjoyable to watch.

The weather is mostly wonderful here. The coldest temperatures are 25 F for a day or two in a severe winter. Generally, one can go without a coat for the entirety of Winter. Snow is incredibly rare. Fall and Spring are warm and sometime hot. The Summer is spectacularly warm! It’s hard to imagine anyplace warmer (so you almost always have bragging rights!), but there are lots of pools and rivers for keeping cool. The regional biodiversity is remarkable and there are lots of opportunities for important field biology.

We have remarkable faculty and excellent resources (e.g., Turtle Cove Environmental Research Station, Electron Microscopy Center) available to support innovative individuals. Our graduate students are curious, energetic and thoroughly engaged in the life of Southeastern Biology and Hammond.

Faculty in Biological Sciences at Southeastern live in several areas: in downtown Hammond, just north of town, in the Denham Springs/Walker area, in the Covington/Mandeville/Abita Springs areas, and in New Orleans. With a little patience, one can buy a lot of house within a short drive of Hammond. The attitude is distinctly southern Louisiana. Food, drinking beer, and celebrating with friends is a feature of south Louisiana. And it’s a strong reason that our faculty tend to come and stay forever.